Deer Hunting: A Lifetime Survival Hobby

There’s no doubt that hunting is a skill that could come in handy in a SHTF scenario. When the supermarket shelves are picked clean, supply lines are disrupted, and panic has set in across all urban areas, well, let’s just say your family probably isn’t going to be frequenting your favorite neighborhood pizzeria…

Likewise, eating MRE’s and canned chicken for every meal, well, that could get old quick. Not to mention, most preserved foods are extremely high in sodium, which could exacerbate a variety of health problems.

Needless to say, bagging some fresh animal protein from time to time would put you at a major advantage, from both a health and a quality of life standpoint.

Venison is an excellent source of protein and other nutrients like iron and vitamin B. It’s also extremely lean meat, delivering its life-giving nutrition without the high levels cholesterol and fat.

Suffice to say, venison is health food. In fact, if Americans were to eat more venison and less beef (like the Native Americans did) we would almost certainly be much healthier.

And, actually, that’s what I’m really trying to get at in this article: Wellness.

Hunting is a Lifetime Sport

In the same way that preparing is a healthy exercise, hunting can have a much greater impact on your wellness — your mental health, fulfillment, peace of mind, and enjoyment — than most people realize.

The best survival skills are those that can bring you joy in your daily life, but that are also useful when the SHTF. That’s why I always say that hunting is a “lifetime sport.”

Like most other lifetime sports, you can enjoy hunting well into your golden years, but that’s not exactly what I’m getting at here…

Hunting is an exercise in a range of life-saving skill sets: Weapons training, safety, scouting, building campfires, pitching tents, and spending time outdoors with your close friends and family.

It’s a little bit of everything, rolled into a very exciting and addictive hobby.

Benefits of Learning to Hunt

Because the benefits of knowing how to handle weapons and find food are such an obvious advantage in a survival situation, many of the “here and now” benefits of this great hobby get massively overlooked.

Let’s take a good look at just a handful of important benefits that hunting can provide that have nothing to do with shooting and/or eating.

For starters, hunting helps you get familiar with the rural areas that surround you, areas that you may not otherwise have a reason to explore. It’s a great chance to get out in nature and do some serious scouting — on foot.

When you do, you’re sure to discover landmarks, native species, and plants that could be useful in a survival situation. You’ll learn about the terrain and geology, where to find water, etc. The value of knowing your surroundings can’t be overstated.

Study after study shows that spending time in nature, surrounded by the sights and sounds of native animals, plants, and trees has a calming effect. In other words, it helps you maintain your sanity. Sure, this calming exercise may come in handy during a SHTF scenario, but it’s also very important in your daily life.

Another important benefit is relationships. Far too often, we underestimate the simple power of sharing information and skills person-to-person. When you hunt, you develop contacts and relationships with farmers, ranchers, and other hunters. In other words, it’s a networking opportunity with landowners in your region.

Do you think that personally knowing a farmer might come in handy in a survival situation? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a good relationship with someone that knows how to raise livestock? Not someone who “understands” how to keep livestock, someone who KNOWS how… and can teach you…

Hunting is an excellent survival hobby because it incorporates so many aspects of survivalism into one activity.

Takeaway

If you’d like to pick up a new hobby that can provide just as many benefits in your life today as it will in a survival scenario, download my buddy’s hunting guide, “Hunt Great Deer”

I wholeheartedly encourage you to get out in the woods and learn about the sport of hunting first hand. Then, should you ever need to use your skills in a SHTF situation, you’re more than just mentally prepared, you will know exactly where to go and what to do.

2 Comments

Agreed, this is a very special kind of diosevcry. It’s things like this that also make me think humans aren’t all bad and greedy and selfish. I, too, like to turn down unmarked roads but I recently pissed off a couple reclusive farmers. Oops. I’m going to have to be a bit more careful